Island Darhk Danger
by mjf2468
Summary: Oliver Queen was unwillingly recruited by Amanda Waller for another mission involving Lian Yu: discover what Baron Reiter's plans were for the island. Some extended Oliver whump. Starting with Episode 4 x 9 flashbacks, then AU after that. Oliver discovers a mystical connection between himself and what Reiter is attempting to do. Will he be able to stop Reiter?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; WB/DC does. I only own any original ideas found in this. Some dialogue and details taken from episode 4 x 9, written by Wendy Mericle and Ben Sokolowski.

 **AN: I began this with the cliff hanger I felt with the island flashbacks happening at the mid-season finale. So, that is partly why it is mostly AU. Plus, I wanted to make some sense out of some of the things bugging me about the island flashbacks this season so I decided to continue with it. I also wanted to write more Oliver whump. So here it is, and enjoy**

Oliver had decided the time was right to retrieve the maps and charts from the sunken Amazo in case he needed bargaining chips with Reiter. As well as a means to figure out what Reiter may have been up to. That day, he left with Taiana at lunchtime. After receiving one last tutorial from Taiana on how to dive, Oliver felt able to successfully reach the submerged cabin which served as Ivo's office and retrieve the maps. He asked Taiana to wait for him on shore, and despite her protests, took off his shirt and dove into the water.

Getting to the sunken maps wasn't as easy as he tried to lead Taiana to believe, but he was able to find the office and the maps without too much difficulty. It was only on the way back to land where trouble occurred. All those previous months on the island hadn't prepared him for the possibility of sharks. Oliver had never swam as fast as he did to get to shore. He almost made it when the shark barely caught him with his teeth, leaving a significant bite.

As Oliver struggled onto the shore, stumbling several steps, Taiana leaped up to meet him. He fell into her arms and it took all her strength to stand her ground to prevent both of them from falling. He was barely able to keep hold of the maps he'd obtained from the sunken ship as they moved further up the beach.

"What happened?" She asked as her eyes fell on his bleeding thigh.

"A shark. Never knew they were there. Guess he didn't think I tasted good and threw me back."

"Good thing," Taiana returned the smile shyly. She led them to a fallen log to rest. Oliver thankfully sat down slowly and breathed a sigh of relief. He dropped the maps at his feet and gently nudged them against the log. Taiana handed him his shirt, which he put on.

Before she could ask about the maps, Taiana's eyes widened as she looked over Oliver's shoulder behind them and gasped. A "What?" escaped Oliver's lips before he heard a voice chilling him to his toes.

"Well, hey, Taiana," Conklin slowly walked into Oliver's sight and stood in front of them, a machine gun in his hands. Pointing right at Taiana. Oliver nonchalantly pushed the maps further under the log with his feet and prayed Conklin didn't notice.

"You're a little less dead than you're supposed to be." Pointing the gun at Oliver, he said, "And you. You may not be a spy, but you're definitely a liar. Which means you're probably lying about being a spy." A slow, deadly grin spread across Conklin's face. "I'm gonna enjoy taking pieces out of you." He laughed. "After Reiter is done with you, that is."

Oliver swallowed the lump in his throat as Conklin reached over and grabbed Taiana by the arm. "Get up, Queen. We got some things to take care of."

Taiana said, "He can barely walk. A shark took a bite out of him."

Conklin sniffed. He pushed Taiana towards Oliver. "All right, Taiana. I guess I will let you live long enough to get him back to camp." Looking again at Oliver, he said, "Like I said, gonna enjoy taking pieces out of you. You've been nothing but trouble since you arrived. Making me look bad in front of Reiter. We'll see what he has to say now I've been proven right about you."

Taiana leaned down and struggled to bring Oliver to his feet once again. The pain was cutting through Oliver but he tried to bite back a cry of pain with only minimal success.

"Oh, so you think a shark bite is bad? Wait until I'm done with you."

They made their way back to the camp. Every time Oliver stumbled, he heard Conklin's course laugh. Oliver gritted his teeth against both the pain and the frustration at Conklin's mockery and forced himself to continue walking.

When they had reached the doorway of Reiter's tent, Conklin pushed Oliver, causing him to stumble into the tent. Landing on his hands and knees in front of Reiter's desk, Oliver barely stopped his momentum to prevent his head from crashing into the desk.

"Conklin, what is the meaning of this?" Reiter looked at Taiana and said, "Isn't this the woman who was supposedly killed?"

"Yeah, that's what Queen wanted us to think. Clearly he lied to us. I found them at the beach."

Reiter walked over to Oliver's side and looked down at him. "What were you doing there?"

Oliver met Reiter's eyes unwaveringly and said in a steady tone, "Can't a man take his woman to the beach for some alone time?"

His smart remark earned Oliver a swift kick in the abdomen, resulting in Oliver collapsing onto the floor. "You expect me to believe you dared making me angry to protect this particular woman for a piece of tail? And you couldn't choose any other woman?"

Oliver shrugged. "I have very particular tastes. Not just any woman would do." He prayed Reiter would believe him, but he doubted it.

"Before I use my divination sticks on you to see whether that's the truth, I think I will allow Conklin the 'pleasure' of teaching you a lesson. Even if you aren't lying about why you kept her alive, you're not allowed such luxuries as your own woman."

"What do you want to do with Taiana?" Conklin asked with a leer.

"Well, I never did like the thought of unnecessarily getting rid of another set of hands." Sticking his head out the door he yelled, "Randall, come here!" Another guard quickly arrived. "Bring her to the female tent. Make sure she stays there, and also make sure everyone else is where they're supposed to be."

Turning his gaze once again on Oliver, who continued to lie on the ground, Reiter smiled but his eyes remained cold. "Now, Queen, you will now receive the whipping you gave to Conklin." Giving him another kick to the ribs, Reiter said, "Get up!"

As he attempted to get up, Oliver stumbled once again. Reiter looked at Conklin. "What is wrong with him?"

Suddenly Oliver felt a cold shiver down his back. _Just when they were beginning to believe the beach story._

"Oh, he said he got bit by a shark." Conklin looked at Oliver and then at Taiana. "Wait a minute. So, if you were there for some nookie, why isn't she wet as well? Why did you take a dip without her?"

Oliver attempted to come up with an excuse. "I wanted to go for a swim, and she…she…"

"I don't know how to swim."

Conklin looked at Taiana. "Is that so? Should we throw you in the ocean and see if that's true?"

Reiter threw his hands up in the air. "I really don't care. Conklin, take Queen out back and do whatever. Just don't hurt him permanently. "

"What about the woman?"

"I haven't changed my mind. We still need her help." He approached Taiana and grabbed her chin tightly, forcing her to look up at him. "Consider yourself warned. You'll get a bullet in the heart next time, no questions asked." Reiter abruptly released her chin and walked back behind his desk. He sat down and said, "Go back to your tent, Taiana."

Taiana rushed out of the tent, with only the smallest look at Oliver. Randall followed her. Conklin walked over to where Oliver remained lying on the ground. He shook his head in disgust, grabbed Oliver under the arm and abruptly brought Oliver to his feet. Oliver bit back a cry of pain, but Conklin had heard the quick intake of breath. He gave Oliver a satisfied smile. "Guess it wouldn't take too long to make you bleed a heck of a lot more."

Oliver was barely able to stay upright as Conklin half led, half-dragged him around the building to a whipping post. As Reiter grabbed his wrists and tied them above his head, Oliver ruefully thought how easily he could have escaped, if his leg hadn't been so messed up. And if he hadn't been so concerned with leaving Taiana behind.

The whippings began. What Conklin lacked in skill, he made up in determination. While Slade and Amanda knew where to strike for the most pain and least blood, Conklin only was interested in inflicting as much pain as possible. Which he was, not surprisingly, quite good at.

Oliver attempted to stifle the cries of pain, but as the whipping continued he was no longer able to. Over the throbbing of pain, Oliver heard Conklin's cackle of triumph. Sweat ran down his face, and down his back, irritating the wounds as well. Oliver began to feel the small steady streams of what could only be blood flow under his slacks and down his legs.

Just as he was beginning to lose the last vestiges of consciousness, Oliver heard a voice cut through the buzzing in his ears. "Conklin! That's enough! I told you to leave me a man able to work."

Hands were suddenly there, cutting his bonds and catching him as he collapsed. Oliver attempted to stay alert, to prevent any further assault, but he couldn't. Darkness descended upon him.

The next thing he was aware of was a piercing pain running down his back. Oliver involuntarily moved, but a voice said, "Don't, Oliver. Try not to move. I'm trying to clean your cuts."

Taiana. She was with him. As if she heard his unspoken question, she said, "Reiter ordered me to take care of you. I'm to stay here tonight in case you get sick."

Her touch was gentle but effective. With her other hand she occasionally stroked his hair as a means of relieving some of the pain as she continued to wash his back. Her actions were so soothing he almost fell asleep. He found himself jerking awake, however, once again.

"Sorry, Oliver. I have to apply this medicated ointment to prevent infection. I guess it also stings."

"I'll try to stay still."

Being prewarned helped Oliver to stay still. Taiana then asked if he felt able to sit up so she could apply bandages to the area. "They gave us rolled gauze, so there's a better chance for the dressings to stay in place."

Oliver deep-breathed several times in an attempt to relax, then he slowly raised himself. Taiana gingerly guided his legs off the bed, assisting him to sit on the edge.

Oliver could almost feel his face grow white. He assumed that indeed was happening because Taiana quickly asked if he was okay. He slowly nodded, willing the nausea to pass. He closed his eyes and began to slowly take deep breaths again in an attempt to clear his head. After a minute, Taiana asked, "Do you feel better? May I start bandaging?"

Oliver swallowed, then told her yes. He lost himself in a quick meditation while she applied gauze squares to the worst areas, which were held in place due to the small amount of bleeding still occurring. After asking him to lift his arms, she then began to unroll and wrap the gauze around his torso, anchoring the gauze squares covering the more severe wounds in place. He startled when she said she was done.

"Thank you. I'm sorry you had to do all that."

She smiled shyly. "It's the least I could do. You did save my life."

"Well, isn't this sweet?"

Both Oliver and Taiana jumped as Conklin walked up to the bars of the cell. Mustering up some vestige of courage he wasn't feeling, Oliver growled, "What do you want, Conklin?"

"Just to tell you, Queen, consider yourself lucky. I almost killed you, but for some reason Reiter wants to keep you around."

Oliver pursed his lips together tightly in an attempt not to respond to Conklin's taunting. In this case it was the wrong choice.

"What? No smart comeback? Oh, that's right. Reiter isn't around for you to impress. You may have forgotten, Queen, you're not the Golden Child anymore."

Oliver remained quiet. Taiana shot a worried glance between the two men. She inhaled, but Oliver placed a hand on her arm. "Conklin, I get it. You don't like me."

"You got that right, Pretty Boy. Well, I would love to take your woman away from you but Reiter is too concerned about you. He thinks you require a babysitter in case you stop breathing in the middle of the night. I tried to tell him I didn't hurt you too badly, but no, he wants to make sure you survive. What makes you so special anyway, Queen?"

"I really don't know, Conklin."

"Like I said, don't get too comfortable. If it's the last thing I do, if it's up to me, I'll take care of you myself. Permanently. And soon."

As Conklin walked away, Oliver let out a quiet sigh. Taiana turned to him and asked, "Why does he have such a grudge against you?"

Oliver shrugged then winced in pain as the newly forming scabs on his back pulled. "I need to remember not to do that." Shaking his head he said, "I guess I showed him up several times in front of Reiter. He hasn't forgotten nor forgiven that."

"Have you always made friends so easily?" She teased.

Oliver gave a small smile acknowledging her attempt to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I sure am good at it." _I got the scars to prove it._

"How are you, really? Any nausea?"

"Not any more. I think I'm going to lie down and get some sleep. I should be okay. At least Conklin didn't give me a concussion to worry about."

Taiana mumbled, "At least not yet."

Oliver chose to ignore the comment and tried to find a somewhat comfortable position. Taiana rose from the cot and took a seat on the floor against the wall. In spite of the pain Oliver found himself drifting off to sleep.

 **AN: So how do you like it so far? Hope you let me know. And return when I continue this. Will see how close to canon it will be. I think it will be fairly different from canon. Not sure if I will kill off Conklin…I'm not sure what I think of his death on the show. We shall see where this goes. See you next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2: A New Side of Reiter

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thank you for returning to this AU island story. Hope you enjoy this new chapter. Just a warning, I am kinda playing fast and loose with what happened on the show, but I decided to go with the Muse. After all, that's why I'm writing this AU after all, taking the opportunity to make more sense of out the story than I think the show gave/gives us.**

 **AN2: (6/22/16) Oops…I guess I didn't proofread this as carefully as I thought. I got the names mixed up and used Conklin's name a little too much, and I also forgot about him in the end. So….here is the correction, sorry I wasn't able to correct it sooner. I no longer have internet at home so am a slave to free Wi-Fi when I can get it, unfortunately. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!**

Previously:

 _Oliver shrugged then winced in pain as the newly forming scabs on his back pulled. "I need to remember not to do that." Shaking his head he said, "I guess I showed him up several times in front of Reiter. He hasn't forgotten nor forgiven that."_

 _"Have you always made friends so easily?" She teased._

 _Oliver gave a small smile acknowledging her attempt to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I sure am good at it." I got the scars to prove it._

 _"How are you, really? Any nausea?"_

 _"Not any more. I think I'm going to lie down and get some sleep. I should be okay. At least Conklin didn't give me a concussion to worry about."_

 _Taiana mumbled, "At least not yet."_

 _Oliver chose to ignore the comment and tried to find a somewhat comfortable position. Taiana rose from the cot and took a seat on the floor against the wall. In spite of the pain Oliver found himself drifting off to sleep._

Despite his injuries, Oliver managed to sleep six restful hours. He woke to a loud clanging, which resulted in his almost falling out of the cot. It also startled Taiana, sleeping on the floor next to Oliver's cot. Oliver looked up to see Conklin smiling at the two of them.

"Rise and shine. Time for Taiana to begin earning her keep once again, in the fields."

"But what about Oliver?" Tatiana asked, concerned about leaving him alone.

"Oh, girlie, I am sure he will be just fine here by himself. Since he made it through the night. Like I knew he would." Conklin smiled at Oliver. "I'd rather him work in the fields as well, but Reiter has other plans for him."

Taiana looked up at Oliver, who nodded and said, "I'll be fine. You just be safe."

She got up, dusted herself off and hurried out the door. Oliver watched as Conklin give Taiana a push once she left the cell. Luckily she recovered and kept walking towards the door. He stood at the bars of the cell until they had left the building. Sighing, he went back to the cot and sat down.

Looking around, he took his first good look at his surroundings. Not much available to use as a weapon. Nothing around to give him an idea of Reiter's master plan or to shed light on Conklin's puzzling statement. The jail itself hadn't changed even though it had been two years since the events with Fyers. Oliver shuddered as memories returned of his experiences with Fyers.

He had been so naïve back then, just a boy. It seemed much, much longer than two years ago since that time. So much had changed, he had changed so much. And now, here he was, in the same cells he almost died in two years ago. Funny enough, as much as things have changed, he was still fighting for his life. Just a different villain, who had a different agenda.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Oliver didn't think he would be able to sleep much, but his body knew to take advantage of the rest when provided. He was awakened by Conklin again rattling the bars as he opened the cell door and pushed Tatiana into the cell. He slowly raised his battered body into a sitting position on the edge of the cot and watched Conklin through narrowed eyes.

"Don't get too comfortable, Tatiana, because we'll be back in half an hour. Reiter has a special job for the both of you."

"What? What can we do?" Oliver asked, wondering what was going on.

Conklin smiled a most unpleasant smile at Oliver. "Well, let's just say I am to let Reiter tell you himself. We'll be back."

Oliver watched as Conklin left. Tatiana rushed to his side. "What do you think they're up to now?"

"I have no idea. Do you? You've been here longer than I have."

"I have no idea, unless it has something to do with the mystical crap Reiter has supposedly been looking for. But how could we help him with that?"

"I don't know."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

As he had promised, Conklin was back in thirty minutes, accompanied by Reiter and two other guards, one of which opened the cell. He nodded for them to precede him and Reiter as the guards led them out of the prison.

They were led down a path to the caves on the south side of the island. Oliver hadn't been there before, amazingly enough, not ever having a reason to explore this part of the island. Suddenly, Oliver felt a chill, without a breeze present. They followed the guards into one of the caves, their way illuminated by the guards' flashlights.

Reiter motioned for Oliver to enter the cave and stand in front of the back wall. "Take off your shirt."

Oliver looked back at Reiter in confusion. "Why? What for? What are we doing here?"

One of the guards approached Oliver and punched him in his abdomen. "Do what he says; don't question."

Oliver bit back an angry remark but glared at the guard. He maintained eye contact with Reiter as he pulled off his shirt. He realized that his lower right abdomen was feeling kind of…odd. He looked down at the side, and realized that the tattoo Constantine had given him last month was in the exact spot that was feeling different. He looked up at Reiter and noticed him also looking at his side in a most interested way.

"Not this cave, but we are getting close. Come," Reiter grabbed Oliver by the arm and rushed him out of the cave.

They entered two more caves, with the same results. It wasn't until the fourth cave when Oliver felt the area of the tattoo begin to burn. He looked down at the tattoo and was surprised to see it…glowing. _What the hell is this thing anyway? Constantine said I would know what to do with it when the time was right. Guess the time is right, right now._

Reiter grabbed Oliver and forced him to face him sideways so he could look at the tattoo. He then approached the back wall of the cave, running his hand over the surface. "Oh, we have found the spot," he murmured. Looking at Oliver, he said, "Come here."

Oliver walked over to join Reiter and suddenly, a pain shot through him, forcing him to his knees. He could only watch in amazement as what appeared to be lightning shoot out from the tattoo and hit the wall. Oliver and Tatiana watched in shock as the wall began to crumble, only to reveal an empty space. After the tremors stopped, Reiter grabbed a flashlight out of the nearest guard's hands, rushed to the opening, and shone the light into the space. He then crawled into the space, over the fallen rocks, returning shortly with what appeared to be an ancient idol. Oliver faintly recognized it as something resembling what had been found on Easter Island, or something like that.

Reiter placed the idol gently on the ground then swung quickly at the nearest guard and grabbed his gun. He shot the guard, then turned the gun on his companion and shot him as well. Oliver and Tatiana watched in shock as the two men fell over, dead immediately. Oliver instinctively grabbed Tatiana and shoved her behind him. He couldn't help but observe the wicked grin on Reiter's face as he turned the gun on Conklin and also shot him in the heart, killing him instantly.

"I wish to thank you, Mr. Queen. This idol, it will help me take over the world."

Oliver took several steps back, pushing Tatiana back as well. He jumped when Reiter swung the gun at him.

"I guess I no longer need you two as well."

Before he could think his actions through, Oliver jumped Reiter and knocked him to the ground. He grabbed Reiter's right wrist and held his arm over his head as he struggled to knock the gun out of Reiter's hand.

With one final punch, Oliver succeeded with getting Reiter to drop the gun. As the men rolled in the other direction, each attempting to punch the other guy, Tatiana ran to get the gun. She grabbed it, pointed at the men, and was able to place a bullet right into Reiter's heart as his back was toward her.

As Oliver rolled them over so that he was on top of Reiter, he observed Reiter's eyes begin to dim. He stood up and looked at Taiana, who had a question on her face. However, just as quickly, Oliver found himself in a headlock, his oxygen supply being cut off.

"No, Mr. Queen, simple bullets are not going to kill me now."

 **AN: I really have been trying to like the season 4 flashbacks, and parts of them I do. I just still do not completely understand the whole "mystical-idol-glowing tattoo" bit. So….this explanation suddenly came to me….and I am going with it. Probably very simplistic, but oh well. I fear some of my stories are on the simplistic side, but I am still rather beginning with this whole writing/plotting thing, so….I am just going to go with it. Hope you enjoy it, and as always, a friendly review always warms the heart. Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3: Finale

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thank you for returning. This is the final chapter of this story. Yeah, it ended sooner than I expected, but the Muse is kinda tired of this story, I guess. It can't come up with anything more exciting than an explosive ending, so here it is. Hope you enjoy! And return for other stories in the future.**

Previously:

 _Before he could think his actions through, Oliver jumped Reiter and knocked him to the ground. He grabbed Reiter's right wrist and held his arm over his head as he struggled to knock the gun out of Reiter's hand._

 _With one final punch, Oliver succeeded with getting Reiter to drop the gun. As the men rolled in the other direction, each attempting to punch the other guy, Tatiana ran to get the gun. She grabbed it, pointed at the men, and was able to place a bullet right into Reiter's heart as his back was toward her._

 _As Oliver rolled them over so that he was on top of Reiter, he observed Reiter's eyes begin to dim. He stood up and looked at Taiana, who had a question on her face. However, just as quickly, Oliver found himself in a headlock, his oxygen supply being cut off._

 _"_ _No, Mr. Queen, simple bullets are not going to kill me now."_

As he attempted to get out of the headlock, spots began to dance in front of his eyes, and his movements became less coordinated. Oliver sensed Tatiana dancing around behind them, attempting to figure out what to do to help. After firing the gun several more times, she attempted to knock him out by throwing the gun at his head, which proved ineffective. Reiter simply laughed and tightened his hold around Oliver's throat.

All of a sudden, Oliver found himself lying on the ground, blessed air able to get into his lungs unobstructed. Rubbing his bruised throat, struggling to his knees, Oliver looked up at Reiter standing above him, his eyes continuing to glow.

"You know, you two might instead prove useful to me after all." Walking towards the discarded gun, Reiter picked it up, made sure it was still loaded, and pointed it at Tatiana. "You and Oliver will spend another night in the cells while I consider what my next step will be."

When Reiter pointed the gun at Oliver and moved it side to side, Tatiana went to Oliver's side and helped him to his feet. Taking a push from Reiter to continue walking, Tatiana led Oliver towards the cells once again.

Oliver wasn't surprised to find himself and Tatiana locked into the same cell once again. As he locked the cell door, Reiter said, "You may think all is well, with the others seemingly escaping the island. I hate to tell you, but the plane has ended up crashing into the ocean." At Tatiana's gasp, Reiter cackled. "Don't grieve for them, Tatiana. They died for a worthwhile cause. A new world order. If you play it right, you will be alive to take part in it." He reached for her cheek, but Tatiana pulled away. Reiter grabbed her by the throat. "You will do what I tell you to do, or you will die." Letting her go, his face impassive as Tatiana rubbed her throat and gasped for breath, Reiter said, "Let it be known, you both have been warned. I will return. Rest for now. You will need it."

As he watched Reiter leave, Oliver couldn't grasp what his ending plan was. With no apparent way to get off the island, how could Reiter hope to take over the world?

"What do you think he has in mind?" Tatiana asked. "And why did he change his mind about killing us?"

"I don't know." Oliver got up and began to pace the back of the cell. "I have no idea what he's planning on next. Unless his so-called mind control can call down a plane so he'd be able to escape."

"Would he use us as hostages?"

"Not sure. No idea at all." Walking to the cell door, Oliver examined the lock for what seemed like the thousandth time. Still had no idea how to pick it open. He shook the door, finding it as secure as always. He huffed in disgust with himself and turned to face Tatiana. "We probably should lie down and get some rest, like he suggested. Who knows what he has in mind for us."

As Tatiana was about to lie down on the ground, Oliver protested. "No, you take the cot this time." Tatiana was about to protest but stopped by the look on Oliver's face. She nodded and laid down. Oliver watched as she fell asleep almost immediately.

Oliver took a seat on the hard dirt floor, back against the cement wall, his knees up to his chest. Resting his arms on his knees, he again ran all the options through his mind. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he realized he again came up with no new ideas.

His mind wandered to Amanda Waller. After all this time, he still wondered what type of danger would a second-rate drug dealer like Reiter pose to the world order, causing Waller to thinks she should intervene? Unless she knew something of the supernatural influences Reiter was investigating. If that was so, why send only Oliver to investigate Reiter?

After all this time, Waller's methods shouldn't surprise him, but they still did. Oliver wondered how successful her underhanded methods have been in the long run. He vowed that someday he would find out. Provided, he got out of this mess with his head intact, that is.

To give Amanda some slack (as to why he should, he didn't know), it wasn't her fault he couldn't stay in contact. With the discovery of his radio, Oliver lost the ability to receive further instructions. However, how she recruited for her missions, and how she carried them out, left a lot to be desired. Oliver wished he would've had more information about Reiter before this mission began, that's for sure.

His mind being lulled into relaxation, Oliver finally fell asleep, lost in scattered thoughts of parachutes and mountains.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

"Okay, you two, wake up! It's time to go," Oliver heard through a hazy cloud of sleep-infused dreams.

Oliver struggled to his feet as he watched Tatiana sit up on the edge of the cot, rubbing her eyes. His guard was raised as the cell door opened and Reiter grabbed Tatiana's arm and forced her on her feet.

"Uh, ah, Mr. Queen," Reiter said as he pointed his gun at Oliver as Oliver was about to rush him. "You should know better. Stay ahead of me, and walk us out to the open field. I will be right behind you, with the gun pointing at Tatiana."

Oliver nodded and they started walking toward the field. All he could hear were the noises of the wildlife around them. No approaching aircraft. Oliver wondered what Reiter was up to.

As if in answer to his unspoken thoughts, Reiter said, "Yes, Mr. Queen, an airplane will be landing soon. With my newly gained powers, I gathered one approaching. Once it has landed, it will be my ticket out of here."

Oliver noted he said 'my', not 'our'. He continued to walk and pretend not to notice the significance of Reiter's statement.

They had almost reached the clearing when Oliver suddenly heard a buzzing. Instinct told him to take cover, so he ran into the bushes, having no time to get Tatiana. He watched as Reiter attempted to fire at a drone as it was apparently aiming for him, but before he was successful, bullets caught him in the chest and head. Before Oliver could shout out a warning to Tatiana, he observed in horror as bullets caught her in the chest and head as well.

The drone flew off and crashed some distance away. Oliver stopped for a moment to listen for any more drones approaching, then rushed to Tatiana's side. He gently rolled her over, only to discover her taking her last breaths. With a sob, Oliver gently closed her eyelids with a grimy hand and laid her down on the ground. He then cautiously approached Reiter, remembering that he hadn't been killed yet by bullets. Oliver rolled him over only to observe the side of his head blown away. Oliver still checked his pulse, just to make sure, and finding none, laid Reiter back down on the ground. Oliver supposed Reiter had used up most of his power in tracking and attracting possible aircraft to the area, and that was why he was able to be killed this time.

Suddenly he felt a strong gust of wind. Looking back at the clearing, Oliver observed a plane had landed. Before he could take cover, three men dressed in fatigues had disembarked the plane, pointing machine guns at him. As he was attempting to process all this information, he heard heels approaching the door of the plane. Oliver grimaced as the familiar form of Amanda Waller appeared and walked down the steps towards him.

"Well, Mr. Queen, you handled this mission with your usual expertise, I must say."

Turning, she directed one of the soldiers to load up the idol, which Oliver was surprised to see resting against the trunk of a tree at the edge of the clearing near them. She then turned back towards Oliver, her characteristic half-smile on her face.

"Not quite how I thought this would go, but you did assist us with avoiding a world catastrophe. If Reiter had gotten off the island with this idol, he could have messed up many a government."

 _Is that so?_

"Having more information before I embarked on this mission would've been helpful, Amanda."

"But that would've interfered with your natural ability to ferret out information. And that is what makes you most effective in these types of assignments."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Now what? Are you going to kidnap me again for another one of your 'missions'?"

"No, the choice is up to you. As I have said, the world is too small for Oliver Queen to hide his talents. I would like you to continue to work with us, but only if you want to."

A rough laugh escaped Oliver. "What makes it different this time I get to choose?"

Amanda shrugged. "I think it's about time you get to, don't you think? Plus, I don't have any mission at the moment with a catastrophic need for your expertise at the moment."

"And if that should change?"

"You are free to go, Oliver. You have certainly paid your debt to your government."

Eyes narrowing, Oliver wondered if she really was being truthful with him. Suddenly extremely tired, he decided to trust her. One last time. "No thank you, Amanda. I have somewhere else to go."

"Back to Starling then?"

"Not yet. I have a promise to keep." Oliver couldn't help himself. He looked back at Tatiana, lying still in death. She had helped him stay alive. The least he can do for her is keep his promise and return to her homeland. He'll seek out the rest of her family and tell them what he could about Vlad and Tatiana, and how they were heroic at the end.

As he followed Amanda to the plane, Oliver couldn't help but wonder if he really had seen the last of Lian Yu this time. God, he hoped so. And maybe, finally, he was about ready to return home and see his family once again. Time would tell, following any possible adventures in Russia.

 **AN: That came to a surprising and sudden end. One I think made a little more sense than how the series killed off Reiter and Tatiana. But perhaps a little less exciting, however.**

 **Hopefully season 5 flashbacks will be as exciting as I think they will be. I think Russian fight clubs and the Russian mob will finally play a part, but we shall see if I am right. Some plot bunnies have been trying to get me to go scamper off with them, but so far I have been refusing. So we shall see. Part of the problem is that I have too many other stories to finish at the moment, ha.**

 **I am sure, however, I will feel the need to write up some of the flashbacks in season 5 at some point. We shall see if it makes more sense to just continue in this AU or not. Keep an eye out if you are interested.**

 **Anyway, hope this has been somewhat enjoyable for you, at least the first part. I hope you will let me know what you think via a review, but continue to come back and read more of my stories nonetheless. Always greatly appreciated!**


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